First of all, you are not alone. At least another 3,000 people each year make the same mistake of putting their money through the spin-cycle. We know this because of the heroic work of part of the Bank of England, which might be able to come to the rescue.

Its Mutilated Note Service, based in Leeds, allows anyone with a badly battered tenner, or a falling-apart fiver, to apply for a replacement.

About 30,000 applications were sent in last year, mostly seeking reimbursement for a single damaged note, with a total value in excess of £28m.

In terms of whether the claim is allowed, the banks says that "as a general rule there should be evidence of at least half a note".

And it says it assesses factors such as the "size of the fragments and the presence or absence of some of the main features such as the serial number, the chief cashier's signature and the 'I promise to pay the bearer'".

Apart from literally laundering the money, the other ways in which bank notes have been damaged include being chewed by pets, rotting below floorboards or getting scorched in a microwave. Once you've posted the remains of your cash, and if the bank accepts the explanation, you'll get a cheque for the equivalent amount.

But the annual figures from the Mutilated Note Service suggest that we're getting more careless with our cash - or else the service is finding an untapped market. In 2002, the value of knackered notes hadn't reached £19. Two years later, it had risen by more than 50%. The most typical cause of cash destruction is notes being torn or ripped, followed by those that have been chewed or eaten. Other problems include being washed, contaminated or damaged by fire or flood.

However, the biggest trasher is not a crazed dog or a washing machine, but the Bank of England itself.